Quote from Frederick Buechner (The Magnificent Defeat)

“Life is the flight of a bird that swoops out of the darkness of night into the great fire-lit hall of a castle. He wings his way wildly, batting against the walls, the ceiling, until finally he finds a window, then out into the darkness again. The first darkness is birth, the second is death, and in between–only for a few moments, and handful of years–the warmth, the sound of voices, the shadows cast by the fire.” [Frederick Buechner, The Magnificent Defeat]